Does jet lag play a protective role in neurodegenerative diseases?

The concept seems counterintuitive but while we might not appreciate the uncomfortable effects of jet lag, our brains may be thanking us for it.

In a recently published study in Cell Reports, researchers induced jet lag in a fruit fly model of Huntington’s disease and found that jet lag protected the flies’ neurons. The team then went on to identify and test a circadian clock-controlled gene that, when knocked down, also protected the brain from the disease.

The researchers anticipate that these findings may reveal potential new treatment pathways to slow the progression of, or prevent, neurodegenerative diseases.

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